Toronto rapper Shah – trapped in America
It’s been a while since we heard about Shah and we finally know why. You might remember our piece on him from back in October about his video Pay Day 71. He had just arrived in Atlanta and he’s spent the last several months there, first with Pay Day 71 taking over on the strip club circuit and now with Just Text dominating even before it’s official May 12th release. We’ve been following Shah’s social media, seeing the tracks being spun in clubs all over the city, including legendary spots like Magic City which is known for breaking records and blowing up artists like Future.
Just Text is Shah’s hottest song yet. It’s obvious the impact that Atlanta has had on his music, now filled with melody yet still not compromising his bars. The track may feel like just a fun party song but the inspiration behind it is actually telling of the reason things have been so quiet from Shah the last couple months. Shah wrote Just Text while being detained for 12 hours by the Department of Homeland Security. Since then, Shah has been stuck in the US. He can’t leave the country to go back home to Toronto because he will again be detained and banned entry to the US for up to 10 years. As Shah mentions in his interview with the New York Daily News who broke the story, the explanation given to him by the immigration officers was that they can detain and deny entry to whoever at their discretion regardless of whether they’ve done something wrong or not.
Shah says he always looks for the positive in life so he’s made the best of the situation and Atlanta has been showing him a lot of love. He stated that the Atlanta DJs like Magic City DJ Outlaw 3000 and Coalition DJs like DJ Shawty Rock and DJ Westide have taken him in like family. His new music has been spinning at clubs across the city long before being officially released. His new music video for Just Text even includes clips of Shah with all three of those DJs.
Despite the fact that Shah is facing this situation of unfair discrimination, his music has clearly benefited from the time he’s spending in Atlanta. We’ll keep you posted on his status and any upcoming new music and videos. Until then, Shah remains trapped in America.
